Huge fires in France and Spain force evacuation of 330,000 as another heat wave looms
Massive wildfires in France and Spain have forced the evacuation of 330,000 people as the region braces for another intense heat wave. Authorities are working to stabilize the situation while warning vacationers to avoid the Gironde region.
Why it matters
The increasing frequency of extreme weather events in Europe highlights the growing impact of climate change on public safety and tourism.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the fire had stopped growing, a first glimmer of hope since the inferno forced a staggering 220,000 people to flee in the region around the city of Bordeaux.
But with woodlands still smouldering, the minister cautioned that the battle isn't yet won.
"It hasn't progressed during the night," Nunez said. "We have to remain very concentrated, very determined, to go at any moment."
He spoke after French President Emmanuel Macron held a crisis meeting on Monday focusing on the massive firefighting effort in the Gironde region and on wildfires elsewhere.
The Gironde prefecture said the situation overnight remained "globally stable" — a change from previous days when officials said flames had crept to within 15 kilometres of the outskirts of Bordeaux, a historic city of 268,000 people, and generated self-feeding firestorms with lightning bolts that ignited more blazes.
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